AZ - Players Player Project
Much is recognizable from the previous versions, the same great "oval C" neck profile with 12" radius, the same perfectly matched steel frets, etc.
If you've played AZ, you'll immediately feel at home here.
That said, this is no ordinary AZ with a different body shape.
Here's the completely different sonic ideal that served as the model for the design work.
Sonically they are exactly where guitars of this design should be, but with all the modern playability you could want from a high-end Prestige Ibanez.
The AZS2209 version is the closest of the 2 AZS versions to a traditional T-style guitar.
Or closest is probably the wrong word, it's a traditional T-style guitar with some modern features without bothering with what a classic T-style is and how it sounds.
Traditional 3-saddle T-style saddle, volume, tone and switch mounted on a control plate etc, all features are there. They've made a magic feature on the control plate by making it in an arc, volume and tone are exactly where they usually are, but the mic switch is angled so you can access it easily. An absolutely brilliant solution to an annoying problem that has been with the design since day one.
Neck profile.
Ibanez calls the neck the AZ oval C, which describes it pretty accurately.
C with slightly more shoulders would also fit well. It's noticeably thicker than how Ibanez usually have their necks, but for that reason not fat or bulky. 20.5 mm at the first band and 22.5 mm at band 12. It feels modern and accessible at the same time as it feels traditional and familiar. The fretboard radius is a perfect compromise to be perfect for both chords and solos.
The transition between fretboard and neck is softly rounded called "rolled fretboard edges", giving a very smooth and busy feel.
Seymour Duncan® Magic Touch mini (neck) and Alnico II Pro Custom (bridge) pickups.
Magic Touch-mini is a pure mini humbucker neck pickup that offers all the sounds you normally associate with guitars of this design, but with a little extra body. The output in the mic is perfectly calibrated to work well with the stall mic for that magical midrange sound.
Alnico II Pro Custom is exactly all the twang, clarity and bite you want in a T-style stall mic and with a great singing midrange. The stall mic is mounted in a steel plate to not lose the sound difference a T-style stand provides. A unique feature to have it combined with a swing.
Gotoh® T1803 stand.
The T1803 is a traditional T-style booth, but with the booth itself and the plate the booth mic sits in separated. This construction makes the guitar slightly less sensitive to rounding, which is a common problem with regular T-style stands. The saddles are a Gotoh and Ibanez collaboration and an evolution of Gotoh's amazing "In-Tune" saddles, the best tele saddles on the market.
In-Tune saddles have prefabricated grooves for the strings that are offset from where the string leaves the saddle for maximum intonation with a straight saddle (increasing string pressure and providing better tone and resonance).
What has been further developed are rounded edges for a smoother playing feel for the pick hand.
That the string grooves are made deeper on strings 1 and 6 to prevent the saddles having to be adjusted at an angle for optimal string height. Genius!
The saddles are made of titanium for durability, weight and tonal clarity.
GOTOH H.A.P®-M machine heads
The tuning screws are GOTOH® MAGNUM LOCK®, which are top of the line locking tuning screws with height-adjustable string posts (so you can get perfect string pressure across the saddle for optimal sustain and tone).
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